DOCTORS are warning people in Merthyr Tydfil to be vigilant after an outbreak of legionnaires’ disease was confirmed along the “Heads of the Valleys” corridor.

Following the death of a 64-year-old suspected legionnaires’ patient, Public Health Wales said it was investigating an outbreak, with 12 confirmed cases and two suspected cases.

Merthyr GP Dr Jonathan Richards has warned that people suffering flu-like symptoms should arrange for an examination by their doctor or nurse.

Seven councils, including Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, three health boards and the Health and Safety Executive were yesterday called in to investigate as part of a multi-agency “Outbreak Control Team”.

Legionnaires’ disease is a non-contagious bacterial infection that can lead to life-threatening pneumonia, particularly for the over-50s.

GPs across the area have been given advice telling them how to deal with a patient showing symptoms.

Health officials have declined to reveal where any of the cases are from with Chris Lines of Public Health Wales, saying: “All the cases we have found are within easy access of the Heads of the Valleys road.

“If we find any cases close together in time and geography we look to see if there are any links. There may be some source that everyone in that area has come into contact with.”

Dr Jonathan Richards, who works at Morlais Medical Practice, said: “At the moment we don’t know where the outbreak is thought to have come from and people are understandably going to be worried.

“It presents as if you’ve got a dose of the flu.

“You have a temperature, sweats, muscle aches, you feel pretty grotty and then you start developing a cough.

“If you don’t feel well you do need to contact your GP and you may need to have an examination by a doctor or nurse.

“At the moment that’s my concern, that I will have to admit people who are unwell so that a doctor can rule out legionnaires’ disease.”

Upon hearing the news of an outbreak, Dr Richards said he was worried about the description of the affected region as being the “Heads of the Valleys area”.

He said: “I was very concerned because that’s an enormous area.

“Without knowing where the outbreak was thought to have happened, that’s hundreds of thousands of patients.”